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User blog:Vilain Joueur/Rework of The Unique Items Parent and Children Pages
What was initially a renaming of the Unique Items page became a complete rework of everything related to it. This blog post will detail the various changes and the reasons behind them. Sometimes, I will also explain why I didn't make changes that could have been made. The changes themselves are for most of them ready to be implemented but I wanted to write this first as a sort of reference that could be linked to when editing. It could also be used by other users to contest my decisions or change things in the future. Renaming I decided to rename several pages including the Unique Items page to fit, in short, the official naming. A more detailed explanation about that can be found there. Since 'unique' became 'named' all named items pages containing 'unique' will be renamed accordingly. But that is not all. Since this is a rework, I did a lot of research to see if named items were correctly named as well. For weapons, this is not a problem because the same pattern applies: Named + type of weapon. But this is another matter for armors and helmets. Naming them correctly is more difficult because they do not always belong to specific categories like weapons do. To assess the correctness of a name I used several sources: *file name *description name *recurring item names *developer comments Now, I will present the renaming and results of my research for each item that deserved scrutiny. Shields *Unique Heater Shield > Bandit Heater Shield This item had no special name. Here, I used the file name which not only describes where and from whom you can get the item but also makes it less generic. Bandit is used instead of Brigand. I think this is not such a problem since these words are synonymous. It also adds some diversity. *Winged Heater Shield > Winged Shield The file name is 'Wing Shield' but 'Winged Shield' sounds more correct. There are actually several items whose file name use nouns instead of conjugated verbs like 'feather(s)' vs. 'feathered' which you can find as a name in the game. So, I decided to keep the participle used in the current page and also used it in other pages if applicable. However, I decided to remove 'Heater'. First, because it doesn't appear in the file name, then because 'Winged Shield' already contains an information about the shape of the shield. Interestingly, the description calls it a 'Reinforced Wooden Heater Shield'. It would have been a good option but I deemed it less precise and more generic than 'Winged Shield'. *Relic Heater Shield > SAME The file name is 'Rider on Horse Shield'. Like several of the other file names for shields, it is very descriptive and accurate but does not sound epic at all. The artist, Paul, used a picture of St. George slaying the Dragon as an inspiration. Using the file name would not have made justice to the model. 'Relic Heater Shield' appears in the description of the item. It is much more appealing which is why I decided to keep it. *Metal Heater Shield > SAME The file name is 'Full Metal Heater Shield'. So the only difference is the adjective 'full'. I ruled against adding it because it did not affect the meaning much and made the name quite long with 4 words. It may be necessary to use 'Full' in the future if more metal shields are introduced and make it difficult to distinguish between them. *Metal Round Shield > Golden Round Shield The file name is 'Golden Round Shield'. In this case I went with it. I think it's better because 'Golden' mostly implies 'Metal'. It also makes it more distinguishable from the 'Metal Heater Shield' and makes it easier to quickly associate it with its picture. In the description 'full metal' also appears. *Unique Kite Shield > Bandit Kite Shield Renamed for the same reasons than the 'Unique Heater Shield' *Norse Kite Shield > Dragon Kite Shield This one was really difficult and I pondered it a lot before deciding on the change. The file name is 'Dragon Shield'. The first problem with the current name was that it didn't match either the file name or the description of the item. So I had to look for mentions of the word 'Norse' but I couldn't find any in official sources. After looking up on the internet, I found that the shield design was inspired from what was in fact a 'Norman Kite Shield'. So, 'Norse' was not really accurate. But replacing it with 'Norman' introduced even more specific historical references in a world that has its own rules and history (even though it obviously draws from the real). And while 'Norse' is perfectly acceptable because it's more or less close to the word 'north' and is already used for the 'Norse Helmet', 'Norman' had none of that going for it. Since neither solutions seemed acceptable I kept, in the absence of any other remarkable names from other sources, the file name and added 'Kite' to it to keep some continuity with the old name and better differentiate it from the 'Lindwurm Shield'. Also, 'Dragon' refers to the design, not the shape or the composition which is why keeping 'Kite' seemed good. *Pavise Shield > SAME The file name is 'Red White Shield'. As was the case for the 'Rider on Horse Shield', the file name felt really weak and uninspiring. However, Paul admitted while presenting it, that this shield was inspired by pavise shields. It does not appear in the description, but that's enough for me to deem the word legitimate. Besides, 'Pavise' like 'Heater' or 'Kite' defines a certain type and shape of shields which is why it's perfectly acceptable to include it in the universe of Battle Brothers. 'Pavise' gives enough information that there isn't a need, at least for now, to add anything else to the name. But if more pavise shields come into the game, it may become later necessary to use the file name to specify and better distinguish this item. *Lindwurm Shield > SAME This is a case where the file name is exactly the same as the current name. The file name doesn't mention 'Kite' but in this instance, I think it's fine leaving it out as 'Lindwurm' sounds extraordinary enough that we should know what type of shield it refers to, even though it looks like a heater shield and had many confused when only the item picture was known. *Unique Orc Shield > Named Orc Heavy Shield The file name is 'Named Orc Heavy Shield' and I adopted it. 'Heavy Orc Shield' wasn't enough because this is already the file name of the common version of the shield. It would have been possible to rename it 'Named Orc Shield' instead but it felt much more generic than 'Named Heavy Orc Shield' and something needed to be added to better represent the shape or structure of the shield. Armors Armors are more complicated to deal with than shields because their file name is not always satisfactory and description often includes several possible names. *Hardened Leather Armor > SAME The file name is 'Black Leather Armor'. Paul also called it 'Bandit Wolf Armor'. 'Hardened' appears in the description along with 'well-crafted'. The description further adds that it is 'supported by a padded gambeson and chainmail'. While it seemed difficult to carry this information into the name, 'well-crafted' could easily accompany or replace 'Hardened'. The color 'Black' is another case of a descriptive term that might help distinguish versions of same item type but sounds really generic. This armor is the only named leather armor so it's not needed, at least for now. I chose to keep 'Hardened' over replacing it with 'well-crafted' because each word more or less conveys the same idea of an improved item which is exactly what named items should be and because it preceded. It might be needed to expand the name later, if more named leather armors come into play. *Reinforced Mail Shirt > Studded Mail Armor The file name is 'Blue Studded Mail Armor'. The description says it is a 'mail shirt combined with a gambeson and combined with a sturdy, riveted leather jacket'. The current name retained part of the description. The file name however better conveys most if not all the information contained in the description thanks to the vocable of 'Studded'. And since the armor is composed not only of a mail shirt but of several other pieces of different types I think 'Armor' is better suited than 'Shirt'. Leaving only 'Mail' would not be accurate. 'Reinforced' comes from one of the possible names of the armor. But it's isolated and there are many other possibilities so it's not reliable enough for a name in my opinion. The color 'Blue' was not retained for reasons similar to the 'Hardened Leather Armor' case. *Knightly Mail Hauberk > Heraldic Mail Hauberk This one was quite difficult but for different reasons than usual. The file name is 'Heraldic Mail Armor'. Paul himself called it 'Heraldic Mail'. The description says that it is a 'mail hauberk' with high quality materials and 'precious decorations and ornaments' 'fit for a knight'. The current name chose to include 'knight' in the name which really fits the art. However, the official sources were concurrent and accurate enough that the name they used should take precedence over any other name inspired by the description. The associated helmet is also called 'Heraldic' which further corroborates the idea that it should appear in the name. There was another problem with the name 'Heraldic Mail Hauberk' though, because there's another armor in the game named 'Heraldic Hauberk'. The names are very close and they could be confused for one another. Keeping 'Knightly' would have made the named armor more distinguishable but at the expense of simplicity. In the end, I went for the official name. If needed, the name can be expanded later. *Golden Scale Armor > SAME The file name fits the current name so it's an easy one! It looks a lot like the normal scale armor which further proves the name is correct. *Plated Mail Hauberk > SAME The file name is 'Brown Coat of Plates Armor'. The game treats it as a coat of plates which makes sense given the durability range of the armor. The description says that it's 'a thick mail hauberk combined with sturdy metal plates'. The current name is obviously taken from the description and made complete with a good use of 'Plated' to signify it's not a simple mail hauberk. If 'Coat of Plates' were used instead it would be very difficult to expand on it and specify it because the description lacks usable adjectives and the names the armor can take in game are not helpful either. 'Brown' being a color is, for the same reasons explained before, not really satisfying though it may be needed later. *Lindwurm Armor > SAME The file name is the same. There is only one Lindwurm armor so the name doesn't need to specify its type for now. *Enhanced Coat of Plates > SAME The file name is 'Green Coat of Plates Armor'. 'Enhanced' comes from the description which states that it is 'a rare coat of plates enhanced with chainmail and additional padding'. As the description suggests as well as common armor names, 'Armor' is not needed after 'Coat of Plates'. 'Enhanced' is just enough to differentiate this armor from normal coat of plates. Helmets *Wolf Helm > Wolf Helmet This is a slight modification but made in accordance with the file name and the item description which both use 'Helmet' instead of 'Helm' *Norse Nasal Helmet > Norse Helmet The file name is 'Norse Helmet'. 'Nasal' is one of the possible names the item can have. But it can also be 'Padded'. I chose to remove 'Nasal' mainly because it was specified in the name file for another helmet and because in this case 'Norse' was meaningful enough that the named didn't need more information (like the wolf or the lindwurm helmet). *Golden Feathered Helm > Golden Feathered Helmet The file name is 'Golden Feathers Helmet'. As explained for the winged shield, the participle 'Feathered' is more acceptable and actually appears in game. The only change is from 'Helm' to 'Helmet'. It's not a big change but it fits the description, even though in game names alternate between both words. But since 'Helm' is only used for full helms if we consider normal headgear, then this item which has a lighter design than full helms should accordingly use 'Helmet' instead. *Sallet > SAME The file name is 'Sallet Green Helmet'. It's another typical example of a descriptive file name. This is the only sallet in the game so any other information is not yet needed and sallets are like bascinets helmets so there's no need to specify that either. *Hardened Nasal Helmet > Feathered Nasal Helmet The file name is 'Nasal Feather Helmet'. Like the golden feathered helmet, the file name uses a noun instead. The participle hides the fact that this item has a single feather but there's nothing simple that can be done about that. 'Feathered Nasal Helmet' appears consistently in game names so it seems perfectly acceptable. 'Hardened' comes from the description but 'Feathered' is much more interesting and faithful to the item picture as well as its file name. *Lindwurm Helmet > SAME No changes needed here. See the other Lindwurm items for the reasoning. *Knightly Helm > Heraldic Bascinet The file name is 'Heraldic Mail Helmet'. Paul said that 'the Heraldic mail helmet is actually a Bascinet, but with a visor'. 'Bascinet' is also found in the description and much more commonly than 'Helmet' in game names. For those reasons I think it should be preferred. 'Knightly' comes from the description and is one of the possible in game names but I decided against keeping it for the same reasons given in the case of the heraldic mail hauberk. Overhaul of the parent page The main page will go through a complete reorganization in content and format. The content will mostly stay but be worded differently or more concisely. Some of it, the advice about where to find named items will be vastly expanded and moved to the collaborative game guide. The assumption that relations with settlements affect the outcome of named items spawning in shops will be removed as it is unsupported by published tests and unconfirmed by the developers. Some named items that are no longer available in the game will not appear in the list. Items will be correctly separated between legendary and named with additional sections for item types. Correctly named categories will replaced the old ones. The old page showed icons that lead to individual pages for each item. The new page will show a table that can be sorted with all items and their known possible values. Icons will still be present and clickable but minimized to fit in the table. Icons will be used as separators for value ranges. It should make it more easy to know what values are about when scrolling down the table and not seeing the table headers. Hopefully they won't clog the view. All weapons will go in a single table so even ranged and melee weapons can be compared. The concept art included in the page will be centered and placed in the front because floating it was shrinking the text and making important information difficult to read. I am still undecided about adding other images. Changes to the children pages Besides the renaming, some pages will also be edited for mistakes and obsolete content. Category:Blog posts